Chapter 267: The Masquerade Of Lies And Truth PT 1

Evening came faster than ever before.

Perhaps it was because Lydia had spent the entire day waiting for tonight.

Or maybe the night itself seemed eager to arrive.

The Grand Duchess was hosting a masquerade ball in Svetlana. It was not simply a night for dancing and dressing up. The ball was being held to raise money for a school.

With the support of the ladies of Svetlana, Lydia had decided to build a school where children from poor families could study for free. Many children in the city had no chance to receive a proper education because their families could not afford it.

It was something worth celebrating.

The ladies had worked hard for it, and tonight was their chance to celebrate what they had started.

But for Lydia, the ball meant something else.

Tonight, she was going to tell Ivan the truth.

She had spent the entire day thinking about it.

Every time fear came into her mind, she pushed it away.

She had made her decision.

She would not change it.

Lydia stood in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection.

She looked beautiful.

Her black dress covered her body perfectly, the small sequins catching the light whenever she moved. The matching gloves reached up her arms, making the dress look even more elegant.

Yet she barely noticed any of it.

Her mind was somewhere else.

She wondered where Ivan would be tonight.

Would he be busy speaking to the guests?

Would he dance?

Would he even give her a chance to speak to him alone?

She did not know.

And perhaps that was what made her so nervous.

A knock came at the door.

Lydia quickly looked toward it.

"Come in."

The door opened and Anna stepped inside.

She stopped the moment she saw Lydia.

"You look beautiful."

Lydia turned toward her.

"Do I?"

Anna smiled.

"Very."

She walked closer and looked at her dress.

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look this beautiful."

Lydia gave her a small smile.

"And you look beautiful too."

Anna looked down at her burgundy dress.

"Really?"

"Really."

Anna smiled.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

She had dressed carefully for the evening, but her attention quickly returned to Lydia.

"Everything is ready, Your Highness."

Lydia nodded.

"Good."

Anna looked at her face.

She could see the uneasiness in Lydia’s eyes.

There was no need to ask why.

She knew.

Tonight was the night Lydia had decided to tell Ivan about the baby.

Anna was relieved that Lydia had finally made that choice.

But she was also afraid.

What if Ivan did not react the way Lydia hoped?

What if he became angry?

What if Lydia’s fear came true and he pushed her away?

Anna had no idea what she could say to make Lydia feel better.

There was no perfect thing to say.

So instead, she simply moved closer.

She reached for the beautiful black feathered mask resting nearby and held it out to Lydia.

"Here."

Lydia took it.

"Thank you."

Because she was the hostess, Lydia did not need to keep the mask over her face the entire evening. She could hold it in her hand and wear it whenever she wanted.

She looked at the mask for a moment.

Then she looked at herself in the mirror again.

Tonight.

She had to do it tonight.

Anna watched her quietly.

"Are you ready?"

Lydia looked at her.

"No."

Anna blinked.

Lydia gave a small, nervous laugh.

"But I’m going anyway."

Anna smiled.

"That’s enough."

Lydia took a deep breath.

"Let’s go."

The two women walked out of the room together.

Their footsteps echoed softly through the palace as they made their way toward the ballroom.

Lydia held her mask in one hand.

Her other hand rested briefly over her stomach.

She quickly lowered it again.

She did not want anyone to notice.

Especially not Ivan.

Not yet.

She wanted him to hear the truth from her.

---

In another part of the palace, Tatiana sat in front of her mirror.

Yelena stood behind her, carefully styling her hair.

Tatiana watched herself in the mirror without saying a word.

Yelena picked up another hair accessory.

"Another ball."

She sighed.

"My lady, at this point, I think that woman would hold a ball every single day."

Tatiana remained silent.

Yelena continued working on her hair.

"But wouldn’t that be a problem if she’s pregnant?"

Her hands suddenly stopped.

She realized what she had just said.

Yelena’s eyes widened.

She lowered her voice.

"I’m sorry, my lady."

Tatiana said nothing.

Yelena quickly looked back at the mirror.

"I didn’t mean to say that aloud."

Still, Tatiana remained quiet.

Yelena became uncomfortable.

She quickly tried to change the subject.

"I was only worried about you, my lady."

Tatiana finally looked at her through the mirror.

"You don’t need to go to the ball tonight."

Yelena paused.

"You know people are going to whisper about you."

Tatiana smiled.

"Let them."

She picked up a small piece of jewelry and looked at it.

"Let them whisper about me tonight."

Her smile slowly became colder.

"Tomorrow, they won’t."

Yelena stared at her.

Tatiana looked at herself in the mirror.

"They’ll be too busy talking about the Grand Duchess’s death."

Yelena’s face became pale.

"My lady..."

Tatiana turned her head slightly.

"What?"

Yelena swallowed.

"Nothing."

Tatiana turned back toward the mirror.

She pointed at her hair.

"Add more accessories."

Yelena hesitated.

"More?"

"Yes."

Tatiana wanted everything to be perfect.

She wanted to look beautiful tonight.

She wanted no one to remember her as anything other than a beautiful woman attending a grand ball.

Tonight was special.

Very special.

Tatiana looked at her reflection and smiled.

In just a few hours, Lydia would be out of her way.

No more rumors.

No more whispers.

No more people comparing them.

No more watching Ivan look at Lydia with that soft expression in his eyes.

Everything would finally be the way it ought to be.

Tatiana touched one of the ornaments in her hair.

"Make sure it looks perfect."

"Yes, my lady."

Yelena continued styling her hair.

Tatiana sat still.

Her heart was calm.

There was no doubt in her mind.

Tonight would change everything.